Chapter 142 - The Sinking Ship (2/2)
Claire sighs as she watches Gary leave. Their ship is full of holes. There have been so many witnesses, and none of them has been oriented or ordered to keep the Tan family's privacy. And now Claire realizes that keeping Miguel's accident a secret is not the way to go. Full disclosure maybe the smarter move, especially now that someone like Gary Smulder has entered the equation.
Gabriel turns to her. ”My head and heart are full of things. But I'm glad you're here beside me.”
”Me, too,” she says. She holds his hand. ”Thank God Miguel's condition is getting better.”
”Yeah,” he says. ”We still need more blood, but if we can't find more, the doctor says there are ways to keep him stable while we wait for a donor. And it's all that I needed to hear, the fact that we can buy some time.”
”Maybe we can check out blood banks in other cities.”
”Yes,” he says. ”Already called up my point person for that. I'm sure later today we can finally get it.”
”So,” she says, hesitating. ”Now that Miguel's condition is more or less good, maybe we can try to think about the war on perception that's at stake here.”
”How do you mean?”
”Well, if the public learns about the real reason behind Miguel's accident, that you had to do it because he was trying to ȧssault me, it might have a negative impact on your reputation. It might affect your businesses. Your companies are publicly traded, Gabriel. The value of your stocks might get shot down.”
”I don't think that's…” But then he falls silent. Claire has a point. Why has he been blind to this? He has never figured in a public spectacle before, so the possibility of this accident hitting the valuation of his companies seems unreal, even to him. ”You mean that reporter is…”
”Is only one of our concerns. I've been trying to reach your public relations director, Catherine Buenavista. Couldn't get hold of her. We need to craft a game plan. Some public relations stunt or other. Or at least, we should be aware of all possibilities, so that nothing would surprise us.”
Gabriel looks at her for a long moment, weighing his own thoughts. ”We can keep it simple, Claire,” he says finally. ”You know Occam's Razor? It says that usually, the simplest explanation is the true one. We can just—”
But Gabriel never finishes what he says, as Mrs. Gomez's voice blares from behind them. ”Mr. Tan! Good news!”
Mrs. Gomez looks already haggard at this hour, and for some reason, Gabriel feels pity for her. He makes mental note of what he'd offer her as compensation later. ”I'm sure if it's done by you, it's nothing but good.”
”Yeah!” Mrs. Gomez chirps, albeit too cheerfully for comfort. ”The good news is, almost a hundred people are on their way here to have their blood tested for compatibility.”
Claire says, ”Really? Oh, my God! Maybe we can find a good match now. We don't have to search in other blood banks. Right, Gab?”
”A hundred people, Mrs. Gomez? It's not the most efficient way to find a blood donor. You could have just asked their blood type and…”
”Well, nobody knew what their blood type is,” Mrs. Gomez says. ”Who knows, in this day and age?” Then she looks behind her with that look of uncertainty in her face. ”But there's just one bit of a not-so-good news, Mr. Tan.”
”What do you mean?”
Mrs. Gomez opens her mouth to speak, but she's cut off by a shrill voice Doppler-shifting toward them. And Gabriel doesn't have to look up to know who it is.
”Oh, my God, Gab, why didn't you call me up? Where's Miguel? Where's the doctor? Nurses? Here's my arm, take all the blood you can get,” says Michelle Alcantara, wearing her signature animal print dress that makes people look at her cleavage. Noticing that Gabriel and Claire are not speaking; they're just gazing at her like they've seen a snake, she says, ”And a pleasant morning to you, too.”
Mrs. Gomez feels like she just wants the earth to swallow her up.